Help with Walking and not targeting Root at first beat

[nnnnnn]

You should hit the root at the first beat. That's what the bass is for.

In a jazz walking bassline it is perfectly acceptable to play another chord tone on the first beat of a bar. The third can work particularly well and still very much helps to outline the chord progression. In places where chords only last two beats it can sometimes be smoother to connect them with non-root notes.

If you skip the root on beat one, do it on beat two.

Or do it on beat three. To my ear a jazz walking line often sounds best with the chord tones (including the root) on beats one and three, and with other connecting notes on beats two and four. Also if you were playing a descending line that took you to the third on beat one then it would be natural to keep descending and reach the root on beat three.

Remember also that whether any particular note works on a given beat depends on the notes that came before it and the notes that follow, so the same note that did work in a certain bar last chorus might sound weird on the same beat of that bar next chorus if you approach it a different way.

In any case there are plenty of exceptions to any of these sorts of rules. Better to think of them as guidelines than rules.

 

[RocknRay]

I would add to the list of great jazz bassists to learn from: Wilbur Ware. Recommended discs: Johnny Griffin Sextet and Johnny Griffin--Way Out.

 

[SLivinghouse]

Lots of good advice above. One more thing. It takes awhile - your not going to sound like Ray Brown in a week. Slow tempos and ireal pro and work your way up over months and years.

 

[Mili]

Is there a decent jazz bass player near you where you can take lessons?

No, I'm living in a wrong country.

go to the closest note of the chord that is coming up from where your finger is.

Very good idea, I shoud try this, it's like a funny game. Thanks.

 

[drumvsbass]

I practice without a backing track, it's hard to visualize the mode patterns because my finger is not on the root . I think as always keep practicing is the key.

It's Zen thing; if you don't hear it, you won't hear it, but when you do you hear it, you will hear it.
You can't just play a D against a Bb, if you don't hear why you're there and where you're going it will sound wrong even though it's totally right, dig?

Practice with a backing track. It will help you hear it when you play a leading tone as opposed to a root and give you sign posts as to the direction your line is heading and reason to why you are on a root or not, and you'll hear when you're lines are weak and when they're strong.

The first verse and chorus of a walking tune is probably not the place to start landing on chord extensions (52nd pass through the B section during the sax solo, almost any note is game on the V chord) but that same walking information when you can target chord extensions will definitely inform your solo lines. Same info, just faster.

 

[Bisounourse]

Know your arpeggio's and go from there.
Sit down, take the chord progression of a standard, write down the note on which you want to land on the fearst beat of each measurement and go from there using chord notes and diatonic or chromatic passing notes.
Look at more than one measurement at a time.
While the root on the first beat is a very strong one, the third on the first beat is an equal strong one since it will guide you towards the 'colour' of the scale.
A fifth of the chord as a first note is (generally speaking) not the best note to outline a chord.
Transcribe and study other walking basslines.
Othere books that have not been mentioned, but are great as well:
- Walking Bassics by Ed Fuqua (he replied on this thread as well),
- John Fischer: Jazz Studio - Anleitung zur Improvisation: Kontrabass; a German book, it is written in the 'older style' playing, but has a wealth of information. You get the melody of a song, and then you see a walking bass using only chord tones, walking bass with chord tones and passing notes, riff based walking bass, etc.

 

[rogerb]

Slow is the key here, I'm just doing this now too. Easy tunes.

To learn I'm pretty much root on one, I find however if I happen to be on the root of the next bar on beat four then rather than two same notes it is better to put the root on two, but I don't hear that happening much in recordings. All about reading ahead and where you going and that is hard to do at first. I'm much better at it after a month, say 30 mins a day. Need to go all over the neck, I started concentrating on the middle section of the neck as that was causing me problems, now I can't get out of it!

I'm memorizing tunes as well, only say 5 at this point. That may hinder somewhat reading ahead, but I do a bit of both as I add a new tune here and there. Transcribing is a great way to learn cool stuff too.

Play along with youtube video's, lots are pretty quick so at 75% speed! 50% too I did in the beginning but sometimes it gets choppy. "Straight No Chaser" Miles version being a new favorite at the moment.

 

[nnnnnn]

 

[srbbass]

Since the OP was about the 3rd, here’s a tip for you. Starting on the 3rd and Playing descending steps 3 2 1 7 in 4/4 pattern works really great over ii-V7-I patterns. You should learn this in every key and add it to your toolbox. The 7 of one chord to the 3 of the next chord is really strong harmonic motion.

So in C it is
Dm7 | G7 | C
3 2 1 7 3 2 1 7 3 2 1
F E D C | B A G F | E D C
Makes a nice 11 or 12 note line. If the next chord after C happens to be Am7 you can just add a B and land so perfectly on A.

 

[DeltaTango]

I am taking lessons with Todd Johnson.
Toddjohnsonmusic.com
He does Skype lessons.
I have progressed so much working with him.
Very organized. Each lesson builds on the previous lesson.
He will get you walking for sure.
I wish I had sought him out sooner.
I used to always have my eyes glued to the chart. No more! He has helped me tremendously.
I think a very organized lesson plan and a great instructor will save you so much time.
All the best to you.

 

[LeeNunn]

+1 to transcribing. Especially Ray Brown. Here's a transcription of Natalie Cole's version of Route 66 with Ray Brown on bass. Notice the non-root notes on beat one of many of the F7 chords. Also see measures 50 and 51. And 60. What a great bass line.

 

[Door County Bass]

I am taking lessons with Todd Johnson.
Toddjohnsonmusic.com
He does Skype lessons.
I have progressed so much working with him.
Very organized. Each lesson builds on the previous lesson.
He will get you walking for sure.
I wish I had sought him out sooner.
I used to always have my eyes glued to the chart. No more! He has helped me tremendously.
I think a very organized lesson plan and a great instructor will save you so much time.
All the best to you.

I’ve been fortunate enough to take lessons from Todd, also. Great guy and instructor. You can’t go wrong with his system/instruction.